In Focus: Why voters should pass Initiative 591

Initiative 591 protects against illegal search and seizure, preventing politicians and bureaucrats driven by an anti-rights agenda from depriving citizens of their property without due process.
Those who say this could never happen have forgotten the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. More than 1,100 firearms were seized without due process, warrants, or probable cause. Some people never got their property back. We are seeing confiscation of firearms in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and California under restrictive gun laws that were passed with promises that they would not affect the rights of law-abiding citizens. Washington State also has its own “emergency gun ban law,” and if called into force, it could have a similar chaotic affect.
I-591 is supported by rank-and-file law enforcement officers all across the state. The mainstream press has failed repeatedly to report that I-591 has been endorsed by two major statewide law enforcement organizations, the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs (WACOPS), the oldest law enforcement group in the state, and the Washington State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association (WSLEFIA). In addition, Joe Dawson, President of the Washington State Retired Deputy Sheriffs & Police Officers Association (WSRDSPOA), has also endorsed I-591, Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim, and Phil Shave, retired chief of law enforcement for Washington State Parks, have also endorsed I-591 along with many other law enforcement officials. I-591 has also been endorsed by state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, plus the Hunters Heritage Council, Washington Arms Collectors, Washington State Rifle and Pistol Association, and several other organizations, and individuals; people in your communities, your neighbors and friends.
The gun prohibition lobby responsible for draconian anti-civil rights and self-defense laws in New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago, is targeting Washingtonians, using money and resources from out of state, including billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s “Mayors Against Illegal Guns,” a New York-based organization. Groups such as Bloomberg’s New York-based “Everytown for Gun Safety,” are poised to conduct a campaign against I-591, in order to push extremely oppressive New York-style gun laws in Washington. Passage of I-591 affects Washingtonians whether you own a gun or not. Here, in the Evergreen State, we have already seen legislation proposed at least three different times that would have allowed police to enter your home and search your bedroom for lawfully owned firearms without a warrant or court order. This sort of activity without due process cannot be permitted. Government agencies are collecting record amounts of your personal data, raising grave privacy concerns.
I-591 is a simple, one-page measure that also protects the integrity of background checks by requiring that mandated checks conducted in Washington comply with the uniform national standard.
Opponents have attempted to mislead Washington State voters by repeatedly intimating that I-591 would prevent background checks. That is simply false, but they’re hoping to mislead voters into casting a “No” vote. In truth, I-591 protects background check uniformity and prevents unwarranted intrusion by the state into lawful activity between you, your friends, family, and in-laws. It stops the state from creating a universal gun registry that could enable future firearms confiscation. I-591 is all about maintaining a balance between privacy rights and public safety, and the gun prohibition lobby knows it.
I-591 is a common sense initiative garnering support in all corners of the state. With backing from law enforcement professionals, community leaders, sportsmen and women, it is a measure that will maintain public safety without invading individual privacy or turning law-abiding citizens into unwitting criminals. We urge you to vote “Yes” on Initiative 591.
w Philip Watson is Director of Special Projects for the Second Amendment Foundation, Online Editor of TheGunMag, and Executive Director of the International Association for the Protection of Civilian Arms Rights.